Mixing device



-C. R, JENKS AND R. 0. YOUNG;

Patented Dec. 20, 192

2 SHEETS-SHE?! I- Jew/66 mq N OM mg v m W W .AA 7% fi .6 Emmi C. R.JENKS AND R. O. YOUNG.

MIXING DEVICE,

APPUCATION FILED JULY 16. 1921.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIIII wwm mi m0 Q. you/7 By Mar/es Z 015 ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

011mm aonam JENKS AND my 0. YOUNG, or cmvnnmn, 0310,

MIXING. mavrcn I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES ROBERT JENKS and R01? 0. YOUNG, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, Stateof Ohio, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in MixingDevices, of which the following is a specification, the principle of theinvention being herein explained and the best mode in which we havecontemplated applying that principle, so as to distin uish it from otherinventions.

he present invention relates to a device suitable for attachment to sodafountains or to any water pipe, and arranged to drive a stirringmechanism. In the ty e adapted for attachment for a soda fountain, thedischarge of the fluid drives a suitable stirrer, and at the sime time,allows the fluid to be discharged into the glass or vessel into whichthe stirrer is being used. In another form, suitable mechanism is shown,whereby the liquid may be discharged at any suitable outside point. Tothe accomplishment ofthe foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertain mech anismembodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting, however, but several of the various mechanical forms inwhich the principle of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawin s:-

Figure 1 is a central section throu h one form of our improvedapparatus; ig. 2 is an elevational view showing the device attached to asoda fountain and in place in a glass; Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe turbine and propeller stirrer; Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sectionson the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 1; Figs. 6 and 7 aresectional views showing modified forms of construction; and Fig. 8 is acentral longitudinal section showing a different form of device. Fi 9 isa second modified form of device. Fig. 10 is a detail of the form shownin Fig. 9. 1

The present device consists essentially of a suitable casing 1 in whichis mounted a turbine wheel 2 adapted to drive a suitable propellerstirrer 3. As shownin Fig. 1, the housin 1 formed in two sections whichhave t readed engagement, the upper half Specification of Letterslatent.

Application filed July 18, 1921. SeriaI No. 485,881.

of the housing being provided with an interiorly threa ed end 4 ada tedfor engagement wlth the threads on a faucet, while the lower half of thecasing is provided with a downwardly extending tube 5. The upper sectionWill be made in several sizes to fit the different. types of faucets orwill be attached by means of a suitable adapter. A turb ne wheel 2,preferably of the reaction turblne type, is rotatably mounted in thecasing, the wheel consisting of a hollow upwardly extending shaftterminating in two horlzontally disposed arms which are hollow and whichare provided with outlet openings. These ofpenings in the sides of the.arms will be 0 such a size and placed at such distance from the verticalaxis of the wheel as to give the desired power and speed for thepressure used. The openings are inclined below the horizontal to allowthe streams of liquid to fall below the wheel to prevent choking effectin the small casing. The angular streams also tend to lift the wheel toreduce friction on the bearings.

This wheel 2 is provided as shown in Figs. 1 to 7 with a hollow driveshaft 6 extending down through the tube. Below the end of the tube, thishollow drive shaft is connected to a, bushin 7 which carries a stirringpropeller, held in place by means of a washer 8 and nut 9, as shown. Thebottom of the tube is provided with a guard comprising a central hollowboss 10 that acts as a bearing for the bushing, and the nut -9, whichholds the propeller in place,

the boss 10 to a point slightly below the bottom of the guard, and thisrod is provided at its lower end with a button 15, that is adapted tocontact with the bottom of a glass or other receptacle and thus raisethe valve, and also the bushing carrying the propeller so as to lift thenut away from the boss on the guard and reduce the friction.

In Fig. 6, a modified construction of the lower end of the device isshown and in this 'view the guard consists of a bearing 16 receive thevalve stem and the bushing for the propeller, and this guard has threeupwardly extending arms 18, that are slidab y mounted on the tube, therebeing pins 19 fastened to the tube which extend through slots 20 in thearms, thus allowing the entire guard to be, raised to open thevalve andoperate the device. In Fig. 7 a similar construction to that of Fig.- 6,is shown but here the guard 21 is made of a stamped up disk of metalwhich is cupped up in the center to provide a bearing 22 for the bushingand rod and the arms 23 are formed integrally with the disk, but areattached to the tube in the same manner as are the arms shown in Fig. 6.This type of construction is particularly suitable for use with papercups as the disk 21 gives a large bearlng surface on the bottom of thecup and does not tend to tear or break the same.

In Fig. 9 a modified construction is shown, the device consisting of anupper casing 50 formed of two threaded parts, the

lower housing being connected to the usual trated 1n Fig. 8, thls formbeing suitable for tube 51. The turbine is mounted in the housin but isprovided with a solid shaft 52, which is bored or drilled at its upperend as at 53 to receive the stem 54 of the valve 55 which seats in theusual manner in the valve seat 56 in the upper part of the casing.-

The lower end of the tube is counterbored as at 57 and the shaft carriesa stirring propeller 58. which is held in place by a nut 59. The guardand automatic operating mechanism consists of a fiat plate or disk 60which is provided with a bearing 61 for the extending shaft end 62. Thisdisk has a series of arms 63 rigidly attached to a short tube 64 adaptedto fit within the counter-bored portion 57 of the tube 51 and the shorttube is slidable within such counter-bored portion.

The tube is counter bored a distance sufiicient to allow the guard tubeto rise enough to obtain a valve lift sufiicient to allow the desiredflow of liquid through the turbine to operate the same. To preventaccidental removal the tube 51 is provided with two or more slots 65which receive lugs or bent over ends 66 on the short tube. The shorttube or guard may be easily removed by taking off the propeller and thenforcing the lugs inwardly.

The stirring propeller 58 has, as shown,

a two blades which are bent downwardly from the center. This allows theblades to be placed as near the bottom of the glass or receptacle aspossible in order to obtain the best stirring action. The shape andangle to rebound inward toward the center thus helping to fill in thevortex and allow the li uid to rise evenly in the receptacle.

n each of these forms the housing for the turbine is provided 'with aseries of holes 70 whlch allows a small amount of the liquid to flowinto the glass near the center of the glass controlling the centrifugalor whirling actlon set up by propeller stirrer and maintaming an evensurface on the rising liquid in the receptacle by filling in the vortex.These holes also prevent the formation of a yacuuin in the casing byallowing air to pass into the casing and tube and thus rapidly ventingthe same when the glass or receptacle is removed.

To prevent frothing, the tube from the houslng to the glass is made ofap roximately the same size as the opening in the draft arm and thehousing is large enough to allow the carbonated fluid to expand so thatthe fluid will pass into the glass or receptacle at its normal rate offlow with no more .frothing than usual from a draft arm.

Another modified type of stirrer is illusattachment to a water line andbeing arranged so that no liquid is discharged into the material beingstirred.

In this form the upper half 30 of the easing is similar to the firstform but the lower half 31 of the casing carries a journal bushing 32and is interiorly threaded at 23 to receive packing 34 and a packing nut35. The casing is alsoprovided with a discharge pipe 36 which is adaptedto be connected to a flexible tube 37 to lead the water back to anysuitable drain or the like.

In this form the turbine wheel or rotor 38 is pinned or otherwisesecured to a shaft 39 carrying the stirring propeller 40 which is notinclosed. The upper half of the casing will be threaded as at 41 toengage with threads on a faucet or it may be attached to a source ofliquid supply by means of flexible tubing 42 as shown. This form isparticularly adaptable for kitchen or household use where a stirrer isnecessary and where it is to be used at a distance from the faucet-andwhere the li uid must not contact with the material being stirred.

The form for soda fountain attachment gives a" very satisfactoryinexpensive stirring device and one which can be automatically operatedto stir the mixture as the glass is being filled. It is easily installedor removed and has but a few strong working parts. As shown, it can bereadily taken apart and cleaned but may be thoroughly cleaned by passinghot water through the device without taking apart.

Other modes of applying the principle of our invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regardsthe mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as ourinvention 1. In a mixing device the combination of a casing, a valvemovably mounted therein, a reaction turbine rotatably mounted in saidcasing, a delivery tube connected to said casing, a drive shaft attachedto said turbine, and extending below saidtub'e, a propellerstirrerfmounted on said shaft, and automatic valve opening means carriedby said shaft and adapted to open said valve to operate said turbine bycontact with the bottom of the receptacle to be filled.

2. In a mixing device the combination of a casing, a valve movablymounted therein, a reaction turbine rotatably mounted in said casing, adelivery tube connected to said casing, a drive shaft attached to saidturbine and extending below said tube, a propeller stirrer mounted onsaid shaft, a guard for said stirrer, and automatic valve opening meanscarried by said shaft and guard and adapted upon contact with the bottomof the receptacle to be filled to open said valve to operate saidturbine.

3. In a mixing device the combination of a casing a valve movablymounted therein, a reaction turbine rotatablymounted in said casing, adelivery tube connected to said casing, a drive shaft attached to saidturbine and extending below said tube, a propeller stirred mounted onsaid shaft, a guard movably attached to said tube and providing abearing for said shaft, and automatic valve actuatlng means carried bysaid guard and shaft and adapted upon contact with the bottom of thereceptacle to be filled to open said valve to operate said turbine.

4. In a mixing device the combination of a casing a valve movablymounted therein, a reaction turbine rotatably mounted in said casing, adelivery tube connected to said casing, a drive "shaft attached to saidturbine and extending below said tube, a propeller stirrer mounted onsaid shaft, a guard slidably mounted in said tube .and capable oflimited upwardmovement, and automatic valve actuatlng means carried bysaid guard and shaft and adapted to lift said valve upon upward movementof said guard, the latter being actuated by contact with the botto ofthe receptacle to be filled.

5. In a mixing device, the combination of a casing, a valve mounted insaid casing, a reaction turbine rotatably mounted in said casing, a tubeconnected to said casing a shaft mounted in said tube and connected tosaid turbine, a stirring propeller mounted on said shaft below saidtube, and a series of downwardly projecting openings in said casingadapted to allow liquid to How into the center of the receptacle to befilled to eliminate the whirling action of the stirring propeller toallow the liquid to rise evenly in the receptacle.

6. In a mixing device, the combination of a casing, a valve mounted insaid casing, a reaction turbine rotatably mounted in said casing, a tubeconnected tosaid casing a shaft mounted in said tube and connected tosaid turbine, a stirrin propeller mounted on said shaft below sa1d tube,and a series of downwardly projectin openings in said casing adapted toallow Iiquid to flow into the center of the receptacle to be filled toeliminate "the whirling motion of the stirring propeller to allow theliquid to rise evenly in the receptacle, said openings being alsoadapted to vent the casing and tube to the atmosphere to allow theliquid to flow completely from the casing and tube during removal of thereceptacle being filled.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a housingcomprising upper and lower sections adapted to be removably connected,said upper housing having an open end adapted to be connected to asource of liquid supply, a turbine wheel mounted in said housing andadapted to receive the liquid, a hollow tube connected to the lowersection, a hollow drive shaft rotatably mounted in said tube andconnected to said turbine, a stirring propeller mounted on said shaft, avalve mounted in said upper housing section and having a stem extendingdownwardly through said shaft and propeller, and extending therebelowand adapted to contact the vessel to be filled to open said valve.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a housingcomprising upper and lower sections adapted to be removably connected,said upper housing having an open end adapted to be connected to asource of liquid supply, a turbine wheel mounted in said housingandadapted to receive the liquid, a hollow tube connected to the lowersection, a hollow drive shaft rotatably mounted in said tube andconnected "tosaid turbine, a guard slidably attached to said tube andcomprising a bearing for said shaft, 3, Valve mounted in said uppercasing, a valve rod attached to said valve and extending downwardlythrough said shaft and terminating on said guard, movement of said guardupon striking the bottom of the vessel to be filled being adapted toraise said rod and valve to operate said device.

Signed by us this 14th day of July, 1921.

CHARLES ROBERT JENKS. ROY O. YOUNG.

